Book Description
When explorers on the Moon found a skeleton in a space suit of strange design, a baffling mystery began. The skeleton was undeniably human, but carbon dating showed it was older than the human race itself. The mystery deepened with the discovery of a wrecked ship on a moon of Jupiter, showing that another race had once inhabited the Solar System, originating on the now-shattered planet whose remains form the asteroid belt. Then a ship manned by the humanoid "giants" returned, bringing with it answers to the riddle of humanity's origins. But it brought great danger, as Earth found itself caught in a battle between a benevolent alien empire, and another offshoot of the human race who regarded the Earth as their property and were bent on taking it over. That was in the recent past, and the future now looked bright for Earth, as trade and knowledge flowed back and forth between Earth and Thuria, the world the Giants colonized when they left the Solar System aeons ago. Then Dr. Victor Hunt received a phone call-and the face in the phone's video screen was an older version of himself, calling from a parallel world. That was the first step in bridging the gap between the parallel universes of the "multiverse." Unfortunately, it also meant that the enemies who had been decisively defeated in one universe might still be alive and dangerous in another, and could arrive in force at any time. And the possibility soon became a frightening reality. . . .
Mission to Minerva FROM THE CRITICS
Kirkus Reviews
Latest in the Giants' Star series. Hogan (Martian Knightlife, 2001, etc.) begins with a long, dry and almost impenetrable summary of the series' backstory. The main narrative opens on Earth, where Dr. Victor Hunt, deputy director of physics for the UNSA (the successor to NASA) receives a call on his cell phone . . . from himself. Or, rather, from a version of himself who inhabits a parallel universe. He quickly realizes that only the Thuriens, giant inhabitants of the planet Minerva, can help him understand the exchange of information between two different universes. So an expedition from Earth is sent to Minerva, including senior UNSA scientist Christian Danchekker and his cousin Mildred, a liberal Australian political scientist Danchekker didn't at all want to spend more time with. After a quick journey, the scientists find themselves involved in exploring the nature of the Multiverse, in which all possible variations on our world coexist. Various paradoxical events begin to occur as they set up the powerful Thurien machine meant to explore the problem. They eventually realize that alternate versions of themselves are emerging into the current reality, interacting with them, and then returning to their own world lines, unaware that anything strange has occurred. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the FBI is after Hunt for having dropped an insider trading hint to one of his friends based on information learned from his alternate self. Hogan plays interesting games with ideas from the cutting edge of physics, but his characters are predominantly mouthpieces and his plot moves at a glacial pace. For die-hard fans only.
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